Fruit-picker&#39;s ladder.



T. 0. HUTCHINSON. 'FRUIT PIcKBRs LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 11, 1910. 1,008,827I Patented Nov.14, 1911.

2 BHEETSf-BHEET 1.

WITNESSES:

` CDLUMBIA PLNDCIRAPH CO'lT/MHINUTQN. D. C.

T, o. HUTGHINSON. P FRUIT PIGKBR'S LADDER.

APPL/NATION FILED 00T. 11, 1910.

1,008,827. v l Patented Nov.14, 1911;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CLUMBM PLANDGRAPH CU.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

THOMAS OTIS HUTCHINSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, OREGON. l

FRUIT-PICKERS LADDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

Application filed October 11, 1910. Serial No. 586,463.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, THOMAS O. I-IU'roHIN- soN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Springfield, in the county of Baca and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Pickers Ladders, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention is an improvement in ladders, being designed tofurnish a ladder adapted for use in picking fruit and for use by painters and builders in any building operations, and the invention has for an object to provide a novel construction of ladder including a movable platform easilyadjustable to various heights for the purpose of picking fruit, erecting cornices, weather-boarding and painting houses, sanding, sign-writing and other work requiring the workmen to be elevated above the ground; and the invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In carrying out my invent-ion, I employ the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, in whichl Figure 1 is a perspective view of the ladder as in use. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the platform. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the platform, the side ladders being. indicated in dotted lines. Fig. t is a detail side view showing the invention applied to the inclined ladder proper of a step-ladder. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the invention applied to an upright ladder. Fig. 6 is an elevation showing the improvement adapted for use on either an inclined or upright ladder. Fig. 7 is a detail view showing a short support adapted to be secured to any of the upper rungs of a sup-porting ladder to rest against the wall and when this support is used the long support or leg which rests on the ground in fruit picking may be removed. Fig. 8 shows another mode of applying my invention, thev hooked supports and lifting handle being omitted. Fig. 9 is a detail view of one' of the hooked supports. Fig. 10 is a detail cross section on about line 10-10 of Fig. 4. Fig. 11 is a detail sectional plan view.

In Fig. 1, I illustrate the invention as in use in picking fruit and. it will be noticed that the platform A in said ligure is mounted on the iift-h rung of one ladder, being that .to the left and on low ground, while the end of the platform A at the right is mounted on the fourth rung of the ladder on higher ground.

Where desired, ladders and platforms such as shown in Fig. 1, may be arranged on opposite sides of a tree and bridge supports be mounted at their ends on one platform A near the ends of the ladder and at their other ends on the opposite platform A to form a circuit around the tree, or pass through the tree at any point., It will be noticed, however, from Fig. 2, that the platform A is provided at its ends with the lateral inwardly projecting extensions i A', which in a measure conform the platform to one side of the tree facilitating the picking of fruit as will be understood from Fig. 2.

While my invention, in some of its broad features may be carried out in various ways, I illustrate in the drawings a construction which I have found useful and in which the platform A has a suitable board floor mounted upon sills and suitably framed and truss braced by means of bars and wires as best shown in Fig. 1, to give strength and stability to the platform.

In its ends the platform is provided with notches B in which are received the side bars' of the ladder which may be a stepladder as shownin Fig. land in which the side bars C are adapted to t in the notches B Fig. 2 or the ladder used may be an upright one whose bars D, as shown in Fig. 5, may fit within the notches B, as will be understood from said Fig. 5.

To the platform, and preferably to the end sills A2 thereof, are hinged the upper ends of side frames E, so that one end of the platform A may be raised without being hinged at E so they can be conveniently folded and tilting the supporting ladders; and provided at their lower endswith keepers E2 in the form of boX clamps adapted to embrace the side bar C or D of the ladder, see Fig. 10, in such manner as to steady and brace the connection of the platform with the ladder and yet permit the sliding movement of the platform up and down along the ladder as desired in adjusting the platform to, higher or lower levels.

In supporting the platform, it is provided at its ends with seats F to rest upon the rungs of the opposite ladders. These seats, as shown and as preferred, are provided by means of bars F suitably secured to the outer side of the end sills A2 of the platform and hooked or provided with notches forming the seats F and preferably reinforced by means of metal plates F2, as best shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings. In securing these bars F, the bolts Gr pass through the supporting bars F', thence through lthe lower end of uprights I-I, pres` ently described, thence through a block I, which is supplied in order to give more room between the hooked support F and the end of the platform for the passage of the side bar of the supporting ladder, the bolts continuing thence through the end cross sill of the platform. This construction is best shown in Fig. 11 of the drawing.

In use, when the bar F has its seatF engaged with the rung of a ladder, said bar F will be held in horizontal position by the bearing of the lower end of the side frame E at E2 against the side bar of the ladder at a point below the bar F.

It will be noticed that the hinged side frames operate as anti-tilting levers and brace and steady the platform in position. If these side frames E be either reversed end to end of the platform or be reversed at the same end of the platform, the keepers E2 will be adjusted to position to operate on an inclined ladder as shown in Fig. 4, or an upright ladder as shown in Fig. 5, as the case may be. By reversed at the same end of the platform, I mean the turning of the side frame from a position.

such as shown in Figs. 4; and 5 to a position in which the left hand edge of said frame in such figures would be at the right hand edge, and vice versa.

If the ladder is designed to be used interchangeably by fruit pickers and by painters or builders, the end frames may be made as shown in Fig. 6, so that the keeper or slide may be bolted in any position from the left to the right at the lower end of the frame, allowing the support to stand in perpendicular position as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6 or at any suitable incline, a portion of the side bar of an inclined ladder being shown in full lines in said Fig. 6.

It will be noticed that the side frames at the rightand left are in general construe` tion the same, the hinges and the slides being reversed.

Upright bars I-I are provided at the ends ofthe platform A and p-roject upwardly and are provided. near their upper ends with holes through which handles may be passed for use in manipulating the platform.

In use, it will be noticed, that the platform is supported between two opposite ladders, being carried by the engagement of its hooked supports with suitable rungs of the ladder and guided by the keepers below said hooked supports, so that the operator may step from the platform to a higher rung and conveniently by the aid of the handle uprights.

I-I disengage the platform at F from the ladder so the platform may be raised or lowered to any suitable degree as may be desirable in the practical use of the invention.

In Fig. 7, I illustrate a short support to be secured to the top rung or any suitable rung ofa supporting ladder at J and to rest at J against a wall to support the upper part of a ladder. When this support shown in Fig. 7 is used, the long support or strut usual to step-ladders may be removed.

In Fig. 8 I show a different' and somewhat less expensive construction, the hooked supn ports and lifting handle not being shown, in which a single step ladder only is used as a supporting ladder, and in which the side frames E and, bars F are rigidly attached and braced at points near the middle of the platformA so that the keepers E2 are adapted to slide, one on either of the side bars C, and the seats F to rest one on either end of the rungs, of the single support-ing ladder.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus substantially as described, a platform provided at its ends with supporting bars hooked to engage with the rungs of opposite ladders and having end notches to receive the side bars of said ladders and provided at the ends of the platform with frames hinged at their upper edges to the platform and provided at their lower swinging edges with keepers adapted to slide along the side bars of the ladders, and handle bars projecting upwardly from the platform at the ends thereof substant-ially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus, substantially as de scribed, a platform provided at its ends with notches for the reception of the. side bars of ladders and having, adjacent to said notches, seats to engage upon the rungs of ladders and having, below said seat-s, keeper portions adapted to slidably receive side bars of ladders, substantially as set forth.

3. In an apparatus substantially as described, a platform having at its ends means whereby it may be supported upon opposite ladders and having below said support-ing means side frames hinged at their upper ends and provided at their lower ends with keep ers adapted to slide along ladder side bars, substantially as set forth.

1. A platform having at its ends means whereby it may be supported upon opposite ladders and provided with side frames hinged at their upper ends and provided at their lower ends with means to engage with the side bars of a ladder, substantially as set forth.

5. A platform having a floor or cover and end sills and provided along the outer sides of said sills and spaced therefrom with sup* porting bars having in their under sides notches forming seats to engage upon rungs of ladders, the platform being provided between said supporting bars and its ends sills with notches for the recept-ion of ladder side bars, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of two spaced apart ladders having rungs and side bars, a platform extending between said ladders and provided at its ends with means to hoo-k over rungs of the ladders at the respective ends of the platform and frames depending from the platform adjacent to the ladders and provided at their lower ends with keepers sliding along the side of the bars of the ladders, substantially as set forth.

7 An apparatus, substantially as described, comprising a platform provided at its ends with notches for the reception of side bars of ladders, bars on the underside of said platform and extending along the inner side of the said notches and provided at their inner ends in their lower edges with notches to receive ladder rungs and frames hinged at their upper edges to the platform and provided at their lower ends with keepers to slide along the side bars of ladders, substantially as set forth.

THOMAS OTIS HUTCHINSON.

Witnesses:

C. M. DoRrrY, ALBERT WALKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

